webinars

From Classroom to Campus-wide: Leveraging Instructional Designers at Different Scales

From Classroom to Campus-wide: Leveraging Instructional Designers at Different Scales

Join Acrobatiq, EdSurge, Intentional Futures and OLC as we explore the role of the instructional designer and how their role has evolved in higher education. Designed to further explore the recent report, Instructional Design in Higher Education, each webinar will feature a panel of experts on the given topic.

In this webinar, panel members will discuss strategies to leverage instructional designers on campus. Topics include:

An instructional designer’s theory of change at the university,

How different types of institutions engage IDs in different ways,

And the varying roles within the instructional designer lifecycle.

Speaker Bio

Maria Andersen, Director of Learning Design, Western Governor’s UniversityAs Director of Learning Design at WGU, Dr. Andersen leads the university’s instructional design by creating innovative learning strategies to ensure seamless, intuitive, and engaging curriculum. She leverages research about learning, UI / UX, instructional design, motivation, and social engagement to create effective and relevant learning experiences across IT, Business, College, General Education, and Health Professions. Prior to this position, Anderson worked built educational games, directed MOOC design, built adaptive learning software, and spent 10 years in Academia. Dr. Andersen’s Ph.D. is in Higher Education Leadership, and she holds other degrees in math, chemistry, business, and biology.

Bill Jerome, VP of Product and User Experience, AcrobatiqBill Jerome is a computer scientist with a passion for connecting with the human user and developing easy-to- use technology capable of good in the real world. Prior to Acrobatiq, Bill was a founding member of Carnegie Mellon University’s acclaimed Open Learning Initiative, where he spent more than 12 years researching and developing new ways to deliver effective learning online. As Acrobatiq’s Vice President of Product and User Experience, Bill focuses on successfully translating learning science-based research into breakthrough commercial applications that allow institutions to harness learning data and measurably improve learning outcomes. Bill is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and holds a BS in Computer Science, and a Masters in Human-Computer Interaction.

Rhiannon Pollard, Manager of Academic Support Services, University of FloridaRhiannon Pollard currently serves as Manager of Academic Support Services for the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources & Conservation. She began her career in higher education with UF in 2005, supporting the Training and Organizational Development team, after which she found her way into academic administration, beginning with student services and advising. Rhiannon always loved education and teaching but knew at an early age that traditional teaching was not for her (some people are just not cut out to teach). After several years of student advising and many freelance and entrepreneurial side projects, the convergence of her home-grown skills in tech and web design and her deep connections to higher education led to the serendipitous realization that instructional design was her path. Rhiannon is passionate about making it better—whatever “it” is in the moment. She focuses on bringing good design into play, whether it be in the structure of a teaching methodology, the flow of a database, or the user interface of an online course. She’s also a champion of faculty development and technology innovation for learning, and always works hard to lift teaching to the next level, especially by empowering instructors with new ideas and skills. In her current position, she not only helps plan curricula and courses, but also serves as primary administrator to all graduate programs and certificates in the SFRC. Rhiannon is proud to be the leader of an amazing and effective team of academic support staff and instructional designers.